Every Lake
Richard B. Russell Lake
The Savannah River lake where no private dock has ever been allowed to touch the shore.
- 16 ft · first step
- 32 ft
- 47 ft
- 63 ft
- 79 ft
- 94 ft · bottom
About Richard B. Russell Lake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building Richard B. Russell Dam on the Savannah River in 1974, and the reservoir behind it filled between 1983 and 1985. The lake sits between Hartwell Lake upstream and Clarks Hill Lake downstream, forming part of the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina near Anderson, South Carolina, and Elberton, Georgia. It was named for Richard B. Russell Jr., a Georgia senator who served in Washington for nearly four decades before his death in 1971. The dam also operates as a pump-back hydroelectric station, moving water back uphill from Clarks Hill during low-demand hours.
Unlike its neighbors, Russell Lake has never allowed private boat docks; the Corps of Engineers manages nearly all of its shoreline as undeveloped forest and public land, with access limited to a handful of ramps and campgrounds. That policy has kept the lake popular with bass anglers rather than lakefront homeowners, and it hosts regular striped and hybrid bass tournaments out of ramps near Elberton and Calhoun Falls. The lake's basin follows the old river channel and its tributary creeks, giving it a narrow, branching shape rather than the broad open water found on Hartwell or Clarks Hill.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 1,155 roads engraved around the shore, 0 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Richard B. Russell Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Richard B. Russell Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 16 ft, 32 ft, 47 ft, 63 ft, 79 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 94 ft. The lake covers about 44.8 square miles, and 1155 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Richard B. Russell Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Richard B. Russell Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Richard B. Russell Lake.
Richard B. Russell Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Richard B. Russell Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Richard B. Russell Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 94 ft
- 44.8 square miles of water
- 1155 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
